Escape
by QueenOfDuskAndDawn
Summary: "Friends trying and never really succeeding," he commented, meeting her gaze as she turned to look at him in surprise, "Yeah, I get it."


**This one-shot was inspired partially by _Jane L. Black_ and the fourth chapter of her story _Take Me As I Am_ (which isn't available as I post this but I'm her beta so I get the luxury of knowing how it goes before y'all do) and the song _Lost in the Middle of Nowhere_ by _Kane Brown ft. Becky G_. It's my first attempt at writing for _The 100 _fandom. As usual, all recognizable elements belong to the original distributor.**

* * *

Clarke ran out of her childhood home, scrambling to get away from all the anger brewing inside the house. She could hear her mother screaming for her to come back, even as the door slammed shut behind her. Only Bellamy, waiting in his car, stopped her from obeying. She was afraid, afraid of what would happen if she returned. For a moment, Clarke lingered on the porch, wondering if it was better to face the anger at that moment rather than later. The sound of her mother running through the house had her moving towards the waiting vehicle. She threw her backpack into the back of the car as she sunk into the passenger seat. Bellamy stepped on the gas just as the front door flew open, leaving both of their old lives in the dust.

They drove for hours. They drove until city lights gave way to starry skies and tarmac turned to gravel. Neither knew where they were going, which was just as well. The less they knew about their destination, the harder it would be for people to find them. Bellamy glanced at Clarke. She had been silent the whole time, tears running down her cheeks. In all the years he had lived next door to the Griffin family, he never expected that the fighting would get so bad it made Clarke escape from all she had ever known. He had heard the yells and slamming doors. But he had also seen the loving, sweet family at school events. Only when he fell in love with her did the rest of the perfect picture fall apart.

When they finally stopped, they got out of the car and looked out over the horizon. They stood on top of a cliff, the sea slamming waves against the steep wall below them. Even though the ocean was wild and uproarious, the atmosphere was calm and peaceful. Above them, the stars twinkled merrily, a waxing crescent moon providing just enough light to illuminate Clarke's blue eyes. Bellamy threw an arm around her, holding her close. He understood her silence. When he fell out with his mother he had been quiet too, despite his little sister's best attempts to get him to talk. Until _her_, of course.

* * *

_Bellamy sat at the same table in the library every day. It was located in a quiet corner that only history enthusiasts knew how to find. Which was the cause for his surprise when a blonde head suddenly obscured his vision, completely eclipsing the Abe Lincoln biography on the table. He jerked back, brown eyes staring into blue ones. No one ever talked to him. Not since he decided that, since nothing is permanent, forming relationships with people was not worth the effort. The blonde gave him a sheepish smile._

_"__Hi," she greeted shyly, "I was just walking by and…" She frowned, biting her lip as she tried to figure out how to continue. "Actually, let me start over." He frowned at her as she backed away a few steps before walking towards him again hand outstretched in front of her. "Hi, I'm Clarke," she introduced, smiling, "I'm working on a piece for Art and I was wondering if you would let me draw you while you study."_

_The silence stretched between them as Bellamy gazed at her, eyes wide. Seeing her fidget uncomfortably, he slowly shook her hand. "Bellamy." Clarke remained standing, shuffling slightly. He frowned again, thinking back to what she had said. Recalling her question, he nodded slightly. "Okay." The girl beamed and sat down on the floor beside him while Bellamy silently contemplated if he had completely forgotten how to hold a conversation. He tried to figure out if he had seen her somewhere before, but for the life of him, he could not remember. So he sat silent and went back to reading, highly conscious of every move he made. Clarke seemed to notice and laughed lightly._

_"__You can relax, you know," she teased, glancing up at him, "The whole point is to draw something standing still in its natural habitat, and you looked so at ease." His shoulders dropped as he released a breath she had not been aware that he was holding, all tension escaping him. Silence, a comfortable one, engulfed them as they worked._

_Several months later, Bellamy still would not talk much. It worked for them, though, since Clarke did most of the talking anyway. She had long since learned to interpret his low mumbling and hums, a fact Bellamy was deeply grateful for. While he looked over her shoulder, reading what she was writing for her History essay, she finally admitted what she had really chosen to draw him that day when they first met._

_"__I feel like you would get it," she murmured, looking away from him, "My parents… they argue." It was out of the blue, she knew, that after months of them simply blushing whenever they saw each other to work on homework together. She was a junior, he a senior, and he usually helped her with her History assignments while she gave him pointers for art theory._

_The way she said it allowed Bellamy to finally recall why had she seemed vaguely familiar when they met. Clarke Griffin, his next-door neighbor. Of course, he understood. He heard the explosive arguments and he was sure she had heard the ones he had been provoked into with his mother. "Friends trying and never really succeeding," he commented, meeting her gaze as she turned to look at him in surprise, "Yeah, I get it." Not giving himself a chance to back out, Bellamy pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. Clarke reciprocated immediately, kissing him back. They pulled apart, basking in the feeling of caring for someone who understood before he quietly pointed out a section she needed to correct and they returned to her essay as though nothing had happened._

* * *

That had not been the end of it, though. After that first kiss, Clarke and Bellamy were more often than not found together, even after he graduated. Their relationship was met with mixed reactions from their peers. Half of them were confused because Bellamy was known for his lone-wolf demeanor, while the other half exchanged cash because they apparently had seen it coming and bet on when it would become official. As they gazed out over the crashing waves, just over a year later, Bellamy could not help but smile as he remembered the day his life changed.

Clarke glanced up at him in surprise when he pressed a kiss to her hair. "What was that for?"

"I love you," he whispered in reply, looking down at her, "We'll be okay."

Tears sprung to her eyes. "I love you too." It would be hard. They were young and without college degrees. But he was right. They would be okay.


End file.
